The Four Musketeers
by shoefiend
Summary: I never recovered from the Four Musketeers storyline which was on Guiding Light when I was young. They'll always have a place in my heart. This is not exactly what happened, how it happened. (For instance Mindy tried to undermine Beth on prom night.) It's how I like to remember it.


They were all new to Springfield Central High that year – Beth, Mindy, Phillip and Rick. Beth was the only one to actually start her senior year in Springfield. She had moved, along with her mother and stepfather, from suburban Chicago just after she finished her junior year. Phillip Spaulding and Rick Bauer, who had known one another as long either of them could remember, had returned to Springfield after several years of attending Lincoln Preparatory Academy in Connecticut. Last to arrive, Melinda Sue Lewis had moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma in April so that she could live with her father, Billy, and stepmother, Vanessa.

It all began late one morning in the spring of 1983. Phillip had been working a few hours in the evening as an orderly at Cedars Hospital. Rick had expressed an interest in getting a head start on looking for a summer job. On this particular Saturday Phillip stopped by the home of Dr. Ed Bauer to find his friend Rick still in his bathrobe and cooking an egg for breakfast. Phillip wanted Rick know that there would soon be a job opening at Cedars. He was going to be giving notice that very afternoon that he would be quitting his job. He had found a new job that he much preferred and knew Rick would be anxious to apply for the orderly job as soon as it was vacant.

Rick had a lunch date of sorts that day. He had been invited to the home of Billy and Vanessa Lewis. The invitation had been extended at the behest of his stepmother. He knew that the object was for him to meet Vanessa's stepdaughter who was new in town.

Rick casually invited Phillip along. He added had been assured that Mindy was very personable. When Phillip heard that description, he let his friend know that was going to be busy completing his last shift at the hospital. He then took a piece of toast off Rick's breakfast plate and went on his way.

To Rick's pleasant surprise, Mindy Lewis turned out to be quite attractive. He was immediately and most thoroughly smitten. Mindy was everything Rick looked for in a girl. She had a pretty face and hair as well as a dainty figure. As advertised, she did have a very bubbly personality.

He saw the photo of Mindy in a cheerleaders' uniform on the coffee table in the living room. Suddenly Rick was glad that Phillip hadn't come along. From the time they had both first started being interested in girls back in junior high, Phillip had always had his pick of girls. Mindy was pretty typical of the girls Phillip had always dated. Rick wanted to let Mindy get to know him first without the distraction he feared that Phillip's presence would provide.

With his athletic good looks and family wealth, Phillip was a natural fit for the popular group at school. Rick, always genial, was happy to join in with whatever his friend was doing.

Beth who was gentle and introverted spent what little spare time she was allowed by her stepfather with the other kids from the art club.

The adjustment for life in Springfield had been more difficult for Mindy. Cute and peppy, she had been homecoming queen at the high school she had attended in Tulsa. She had never lacked for friends from the time she started school. Suddenly she was the new girl in school searching for her niche among the established groups.

With his athletic good looks and family wealth, Phillip was a natural fit for the popular group at school. Rick, always genial, was happy to join in with whatever his friend was doing.

Beth who was gentle and introverted spent what little spare time she was allowed by her stepfather with the other kids from the art club.

The adjustment for life in Springfield had been more difficult for Mindy. Cute and peppy, she had been homecoming queen at the high school she had attended in Tulsa. She had never lacked for friends from the time she started school. Suddenly she was the new girl in school searching for her niche among the established groups.

Phillip accepted a job as a groom at the horse stable at the country club after he quit the orderly job at Cedars Hospital. Being outdoors was so much nicer than being in the over-air-conditioned hospital with its antiseptic smells. As a young boy he had taken riding lessons and had become a proficient rider and he enjoyed being around the horses.

There were a number of fine horses at the stable, but the standout was undoubtedly, Boss, a black Thoroughbred stallion owned by Henry Chamberlain. Mr. Chamberlain had let it discreetly be known that he was amenable to selling the horse for the right price. He was seventy years old and had come to the realization that handling such a spirited animal was dangerous for a man his age.

Phillip exercised the horse most days and relished every moment of riding the powerful animal. He had talked to his father Alan Spaulding and he had agreed to allow Phillip to take some money from his trust fund to buy the horse.

One day early in May, Phillip was mucking out a stall when he decided to take a short break and visit Boss' stall. He took an apple-flavored treat from his jacket pocket and offered it to the horse. He soon felt the stallion's velvety muzzle moving against the palm of his hand as he ate the treat. The horse was a beauty with long, well-shaped legs.

"What a beautiful animal!"

Phillip, a little startled, turned. He turned to see a petite blonde looking admiringly at the horse. Or was that look of frank, hungry-eyed admiration meant for him?

Mindy had heard about Boss through Vanessa Chamberlain Lewis, her stepmother and the daughter of the horse's owner. She had grown up on horseback at her granddaddy H B Lewis' ranch. She had spent summers living like a little wild thing. If she could ride again she could she might regain at least some of that feeling of freedom.

When she went to the stable to look at the horse, she hadn't expected anyone else to be there, much less an attractive young man. But there he was: tall with long, toned limbs; a handsome, sculpted face and tousled sandy hair.

By the time she left the stable that evening she had a date with Phillip; but the future ownership of Boss was still very much up for debate.

A few weeks later Phillip and Mindy were going out, and Mindy was feeling good about that. She had met his father and even been to the Spaulding mansion for dinner. But she was worried that things were slowing down between them. She couldn't put her finger on quite what made her feel that way. Phillip seemed increasingly harder to reach and she was always the one who had to make plans for their dates. This was the first time that she had been more interested in a boy than he was in her - ever. It just didn't make sense to her.

She was well aware that she had a pretty face and the kind of petite figure that males appreciate. She had never lacked for admirers. She had never let see Phillip see her without her makeup done to perfection and she was always dressed in cute outfits. She had just been named as having "Best Hair" by the yearbook staff. When she was with both Phillip and Rick, she was flirty enough with Rick that she hoped it would make Phillip a little jealous. She had been a cheerleader at her old school, damn it, and queen of the winter formal. What was it going to take to get Phillip's attention?

It was time to take the game to a higher level. Then suddenly she knew what to do.

She watched through the stable window for the old, red Cadillac convertible that Phillip drove. When she saw the car approach, she opened Boss' stall and led him out, then slapped his rump as hard as she could. The horse made a noise of protest, kicked slightly and then cantered outside into the paddock. When Phillip entered the stables, he found Mindy lying on a bale of hay. She said that the Boss had been spooked by a noise and trampled her. Phillip swept her into his arms, put her into his convertible and drove her to the hospital.

The next thing she knew she was hospitalized overnight for observation. Though her roommate also attended Springfield High, they had never met.

Beth was a sweet, simple girl and the daughter of one of the nurses at Cedars Hospital. If Mindy had met Beth a year earlier, when she (Mindy) was still at her old high school she wouldn't have considered Beth friendship material at all. Beth was shy, and in Mindy's opinion, a bit on the plain side, a mouseburger not meant to stand out. She was as arty and introverted as Mindy was vivacious. But friendship, deep and true, began to bloom between the girls despite their differences.

The next morning Phillip stopped at Cedars to check on Mindy. When he arrived Mindy was out of the room for a last minute exam before getting her release papers.

Beth was focused on her sketchpad. She was on the prom committee and her artistic skill and eye for color had made her a natural for designing the dance theme and decorations. Suddenly she became aware of a presence on the other side of the curtain that divided the hospital room.

"Mindy, have you come back?"

A young man stepped out from behind the curtain. "Hi. I'm Phillip …. Spaulding."

Recognition caused a small but palpable jolt in Beth's body. She had seen him before in the last few months, hanging out with the other "richies" at the entrance at the west side of the school. This was the first time she had seen him up close though. He was a bit taller than she thought. With him only standing a few feet away, she could see cerulean blue of his eyes and his high, sculpted cheekbones. She scolded herself for the unwanted impulse she had to sketch him but she felt inspired. He was the most perfect-looking boy she had ever seen.

She managed to find her voice. "I know. My name is Beth"

"Beth what?"

"Raines."

"Don't I know you from someplace?" He paused a moment. "You go to Springfield. I knew I knew you from somewhere. Are you busy?"

"No, not really," she said and tucked the sketchpad close to her body. "

"Mind a little company?" He sat down in the chair beside her hospital bed. "What are you drawing?"

"Just sketches."

"Can I see?"

"If you want to. They're not very good."

Phillip took the sketchpad from her and examined the first few pages. "Not very good, huh? They're great."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, they look like illustration for a book."

Beth sat up. "But they're not illustrations. They're designs for the prom. I'm on the committee. You probably wouldn't be interested in all that."

"Why wouldn't I be interested?" When Beth made no reply, he asked, "Where are you going to hang these?"

"Which one? Oh, the pumpkins. I thought they could go outside the cafeteria, out in the hall." The next set of decorations where meant to be placed around the door. "And that one's for the king and queen." She was blushing slightly. Beth could hardly believe that the cutest (and richest) boy in school was standing only a couple of feet away from her, and acting as if she and her artwork were a matter of surpassing interest. And it was an even greater matter of wonder to her that she was about to carry on as if it were any normal conversation.

"The detail work is amazing on these." Then, referring to the prom king and queen, he said, "I wonder who they'll be."

"Maybe you'll be king."

"I doubt it," Phillip said dismissively. Referring to Beth's drawings, he said,"They're great. You must have a lot of patience to do this."

He was close enough now that Beth could smell his cologne. She felt his full attention focused on her. The earth stood still and the universe shook violently on it axis. "I've spent a lot of time on the ideas."

"I can see it, sure."

"You don't think they're too romantic, do you?

"Nah. How can they be too romantic for a prom?"

Beth unconsciously leaned toward him and giggled. "I guess you're right. You're seeing Mindy, aren't you?"

Phillip enjoyed seeing her smile. "Yeah, but after seeing these, I know somebody whose going to have to save me a dance."

"Beth. Hey, kiddo." It was Bradley Raines. Beth snatched the drawings from Phillip and put them behind her pillow. She was no longer smiling. "I didn't know you had company." Indicating Phillip, he asked, "Are you a friend of Beth's?"

"No. No. He's just visiting the girl in the other bed." Beth was trying to protect Phillip. She was trying to protect herself.

"I guess I'll be going now," Phillip said as he turned to leave, "Nice to talk to you, Beth." The moment had passed. Right before he disappeared behind the curtain that divided the room, he turned and requested that Beth let Mindy know that he had stopped by. With that he left.

The fear that Beth had managed to keep at a distance the all day returned with a vengeance. What her new friends couldn't know, what even she was too ashamed and afraid to tell her own mother was that she hadn't been clumsy and fallen down the stairs by accident. When Lillian was absent, Bradley had always treated Beth harshly. The viciousness of those attacks had escalated gradually over the last couple of years until yesterday when Brady had shoved her down the stairs.

Later that afternoon, after Mindy had been released, Rick stopped by for visit at the hospital room where Beth was now. He left with Beth's phone number. The next day he called her and asked her to the prom. Beth was both excited and nervous. She had never been out on a real date before. She had certainly never had a boyfriend before. Bradley frowned on her going out at all and going out on a date was out of the question. But she was eighteen years old now, old enough to make her own decisions. Besides now a doctor's son, a perfectly respectable young man, was asking her out. Lillian never mentioned him without referring to him as "that nice Rick Bauer." Surely Brady couldn't object.

The four friends started spending a lot of time together at school and outside school. There were several study sessions at the Bauer home, finishing final term papers while eating cookies made by Rick's Grandmother Bert. Sometimes they hung out at the school library doing their homework together.

One Friday, when Bradley was out of town for work, Beth was able to join her friends for an outing at a pizza place. By this point, it had become understood by the other three that Beth was not allowed to go out when Bradley was home. Apparently, he considered them a detrimental influence on Beth, though no one knew why.

Graduation was just a couple of weeks away that night. They were already talking of high school in the past tense. Talk that evening was of college and the future – futures that were a bright and unblemished frontier that was just ripe for the conquering. All four were to start Springfield University in the fall. That they had known for some time. Over slices of pepperoni pizza and root beer, they plotted their futures.

Rick was the only one with a major – pre-med – already chosen. Mindy said that she guessed that Rick had chosen medicine because he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. Rick admitted that was partially true, but during the past several weeks working as orderly, he knew that there was more to it than that. It was his true calling.

The other three were more ambivalent about their futures.

Phillip wanted to study English with the idea of becoming a writer. The short stories he had written while at Lincoln Prep had won several prizes. "But I haven't said anything about wanting to be a writer to anyone other than you guys. Dad already has it all mapped out for me. I'm going to study economics so that I can work at Spaulding. So economics it is … at least until if and when I can get something published."

Beth was similarly torn. She mentioned that she had been awarded a scholarship - not quite a full ride, but generous enough that college was possible without incurring any debt assuming that she worked part-time and lived at home. "I'm going to wait to declare a major, but I am thinking about accounting."

"Accounting, huh? You can't major in accounting," Phillip said. "After seeing your drawings, I am surprised that you're not majoring in art. You're very talented."

Beth liked the acknowledgement she was getting from Phillip and couldn't quite bring herself to discuss her modest finances her more well-off friends. Her choice of career couldn't necessarily be dictated by her talents alone. She had to be pragmatic. She poured herself a mug of root beer from the pitcher. "A good accountant will never be out of work. I'll study art too. Maybe I can minor in art."

Mindy, a black-belt shopper from a young age, was leaning towards majoring in fashion merchandising; but how was that going to prepare her for running an oil company? "Maybe I'll just have to tell Daddy that I'm going to move to Paris and be a fashion designer. If Gloria Vanderbilt can do it, so can I."

The last few days of high school passed at an ever-accelerating speed. It seemed like every days brought a milestone. One day they were being measured for their graduation robes, the next Mindy and Beth went shopping for prom dresses.

Her new friends wealth dazzled Beth. Coming from a working-class household, she was unaccustomed to an elegant home like the Spaulding mansion or a designer wardrobe like Mindy's.

Phillip seemed like he had stepped out of a Ralph Lauren ad. He seemed so perfect in every detail, but he also had a side that was self-deprecating and warm.

And she adored Rick's home – large, yet cozy; immaculately and graciously kept up by his grandmother Bert. Her friends' lives seemed so much more easy than the one she had known. The fact that they treated her as if she belonged among them without question was a matter of wonder to her.

The weather on Senior Skip Day that year was warm and sunny, absolutely perfect. The four friends decided to have a picnic and swim at Laurel Falls. Soon after spreading a blanket on the ground, Phillip walked to the edge of the rocky cliff and dove into the lake below. Rick hesitated a little theatrically, then took a big breath, plugged his nose with his fingers and jumped in right behind him. Soon they were splashing and roughhousing in the water.

While the boys where swimming, Mindy nonchalantly confided to Beth that she wouldn't be swimming that day because it was her time of the month, which was actually a relief to her because she had a recent pregnancy scare. She was wanting to visit Dr. Sedgwick to get a prescription for birth control pills. "I didn't worry too much, though. I know that, if I had been pregnant, I could have counted on Phillip. He's not the type who would seduce and abandon a girl."

Beth was quick to agree that Phillip seemed like a responsible young man.

The truth was that Mindy was a virgin, and an increasingly discontented one at that. Her father and granddaddy had always scared off boys who might have "bad intentions."

Mindy was making plans. She wanted Phillip. Though she had known the basics for years, she lacked knowledge of the finer detail about sex. All she knew was that, more than anything, she wanted Phillip's hands on her. When they were alone together and making out, and her hormones were raging, all she could think was how natural and wonderful it would be to take the next step. She wanted to be free to touch him Intimately.

She also knew that once she and Phillip made love that marriage became an inevitability. She was not someone to be trifled with. She was trying to think of the best way to let Phillip know that he should take a room for the two of them at the Towers hotel on prom night.

Her future, her happy future, as Phillip's wife and the mother of his children loomed before her. Phillip would work at Spaulding Corporation and she would be mistress of the Spaulding mansion. They would have week-long shopping trips in Paris and they whole world would remark on how much in love she and Phillip were. It was the perfect life and it was within her easy grasp. All she had to do was play her cards correctly in the next few months and it would all be hers.

But she had noticed the way Phillip and Beth sometimes looked at one another and the way they were able to finish one another's sentences. She liked Beth and considered her a friend; but there was no way she was taking any chances where Phillip was concerned. She had never felt this way about a boy before and she had to keep him.

She told herself that, "At least Alan Spaulding would never allow Phillip to be in a relationship with a poor girl like Beth Raines." And, even where his son was concerned, Mr. Spaulding was someone very much used to getting his own way. Mindy was counting heavily on this. Her granddaddy H B was one of the wealthiest men in Oklahoma. That stepfather of Beth's was a complete psycho. Certainly Phillip could understand that and choose accordingly.

Besides, Beth was going out with Rick Bauer. Rick might not be a total fox like Phillip, but Mindy liked him very much – who couldn't like someone as kind and good-natured as Rick – and wanted him to be happy. It would be a win-win if Beth and Rick started going out more seriously.

On the last days before the prom, Billy Lewis was worried about his princess. The last few days, she hadn't been happy. He could see that much, though he didn't know why. Mindy had always confided in him about everything. In the last week or so, she had been sullen and hardly spoken to him. She had been going out with that Spaulding boy for a couple of months. So far as he knew that was going well enough. The boy seemed friendly and attentive enough towards Mindy. Maybe he was already pressuring Mindy to do something for which she was ready. Prom night was coming up. He knew what that meant.

When Billy was just a freshman in college at University of Oklahoma, he had pledged the top fraternity at the school. In no time at all and with very little effort on his part, he was buddies with everyone on campus and could drink all of his fraternity brothers under the table and still managed to show up for class often enough to get decent if not top grades.

One October night during his sophomore year, he and one of his fraternity brothers left a Halloween party that was too tame for their tastes. They ended up in a dive bar on the outskirts on the outskirts of Norman. That was when he met Dina and the fireworks started right away.

Dina was pretty blonde with big hair and a bigger laugh. She was a little thing, no bigger than a minute, and had a tight, perfectly-shaped little butt which she showed off to good effect. She was not from wealth new or otherwise. She worked in the business office of an oilfield supply company. Her manners were earthy and completely without pretense therefore she was much more Billy's style than the sorority girls he was meeting at the University. By the time spring break rolled around, Dina was telling him that she was pregnant.

Billy and Dina were married right away. That's the way it was done in those days. As soon as school was out for the semester, H B let him know in no uncertain terms that Billy was going to have to grow up and be a man. There would be no more fraternity parties and H B would no longer pay his college tuition.

Billy took a job as a roughneck for his daddy's oil company. He found out, somewhat to his surprise, that hard work suited him. He and Dina moved into a double wide at a trailer park for Lewis Oil employees. For the first four years of their marriage Billy and Dina were self-supporting, though they saw H B and Billy's mother, Miss Martha, regularly. Old H B gave grudging respect to the young couple for their independence. He and Miss Martha were doting grandparents to young Mindy.

Then everything changed. Dina was diagnosed with breast cancer. H B stepped in and made sure that Billy and Dina never saw a hospital bill. The young couple moved into the big house at the Lewis ranch so that Dina could recover from her cancer treatment. After a time, it became apparent that Dina would succumb to the disease. Not too long before it was time for Mindy to start kindergarten, her mother died.

Though they couldn't take Dina's place, Miss Martha and her maid, Sarah Shane made sure that Mindy never lacked for a strong female role-model. Mindy had grown up to be a bright, independent and happy young woman, though Billy knew she was spoiled.

Billy hadn't expected to be a twenty-five year-old widowed father, but he stepped up and had always doted on Mindy, spoiled her shamelessly as a matter of fact. Other than a few discrete flings, there had been no woman in his life until he had met Vanessa Chamberlain.

Vanessa had been a sorority sister and good friend of Billy's sister, Trish. Billy wasn't sure if Trish had been match-making or not but he and Vanessa were immediately drawn to one another. Vanessa was as elegant and refined as Dina had been down-to-earth; but for the second time in his life, he was in love. It was a big bonus for him that Mindy adored Vanessa. Maybe some of Vanessa's ladylike ways would rub off on her. He sure hoped so, because there was a more than a little of the wildcat in his daughter.

Billy wouldn't change a thing for himself. Dina and Mindy had been the making of him. They saved him from becoming a wastrel. But he wanted something different for Mindy. Thus far, he had been able to protect her; but that was changing. She would soon be graduating from high school and would be turning eighteen very shortly afterwards. He wanted her to get a college degree like his sister, Trish, and brother, Joshua. He had no other thought than Melinda Sue would earn her college diploma and maybe work at Lewis Oil for a couple of years. Only then would it be the time for her to be married and get herself in the family way.

The night before prom, Rick Bauer lay on his bed. The garment bag containing his rented tuxedo was draped over a chair. He and Phillip had picked up their tuxedos from the rental place earlier that afternoon. He had order a tussey mussey bouquet for Beth. Grandma Bert had insisted it would be much more romantic than a corsage. It seemed right for Beth. She was all softness and gentleness. He looked forward to sharing the most romantic evening of their young lives together. He had never felt this way about a girl before and he couldn't imagine going with anyone else.

Now that prom was hours away, he didn't know how the night was going to turn out. He and Beth were double dating with Mindy and Phillip. He was growing increasingly uneasy with all the time the couples were spending together. It was becoming more clear all the time that there was some attraction between Beth and Phillip.

It hadn't been much of a surprise when Phillip and Mindy had started going out. He hadn't been happy about it – he had met Mindy first - but he understood. But it was different with Beth.

Girls had always been drawn to Phillip. Maybe it was because he was 6'2" and good at sports. Maybe it was because his father was a multimillionaire. (Though in all fairness, many of the students at Lincoln Prep had wealthy parents.) Maybe it was because at times he could be dark and angst-ridden in his Phillip way. Who knew? He only knew that the girls he liked all seemed to be drawn to Phillip.

First it had been Missy Pitts in eighth grade. Then there were Victoria Houghton and Sally Witherspoon at Lincoln Prep. He knew for a fact that Phillip had had sex with Sally; probably Victoria too, but he didn't know that for sure. Girls just adored Phillip. He would give them all sorts of attention as long as he was interested, and then he would just disappear on them. Rick had seen it too many times. It had always made Phillip seem a little cool. Right now it was just making him sick.

From the moment Rick had met Beth, he had immediately sensed her nature, which was dreamy, romantic and fragile. Phillip was his best friend, always had been, always would be, and the closest thing he would ever have to a brother; but the stakes seemed so much higher this time. He felt protective of Beth. Beth was for him. Her heart was safe in his hands.

Finally the day of the prom arrived. Beth wished that she had been able to help put the finishing touches on the decorations at the cafeteria the night before. Bradley had forbidden it. After all, Beth wouldn't be going to the prom. Bradley had forbidden that, too. "Wouldn't want you getting in over your head with that fast crowd you've been running with lately, kiddo," he had said.

But Beth was going to the prom. She and her mother conspired to make that possible. Between her babysitting money that she had hoarded and some money Lillian had put aside without Bradley's knowledge, Beth had been able to buy a prom dress and a pair of white, high-heeled shoes, which she stashed in Mindy's closet to avoid Bradley's wrath. The dress was reminiscent of the one Lady Diana had worn the year before when she married her prince. Certainly, the night would be touched by fairytale magic. She smiled at the thought. Just like Cinderella, she would have to leave the ball at midnight. Bradley would be working the evening shift and she would have to be home and in bed before he arrived home.

Mindy had spent all afternoon getting her nails and hair done. As the last step she had stopped at the makeup counter at the department store and had her makeup done. When Beth arrived at the Lewis home, Mindy had her curling iron piping hot and ready to use. By the time the boys arrived, Mindy had done Beth's hair and makeup.

When Beth saw Mindy in her dress, she suddenly felt insecure. Mindy's dress was a chic, black, beaded column dress. Beth suddenly felt naïve and ungainly. All misgivings, though, went away as soon as the boys arrived. Rick and Phillip were full of compliments for both girls. They evening was off to a promising start.

The prom decorations were exactly as Beth had imagined, even better. Rick took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. She couldn't help but laugh at Rick's patented Bauer Boogie. She began to relax and enjoy herself just a little.

Then Susan Morrison came up to her. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you."

Beth wasn't sure to what Susan was referring. Maybe it was the way the decorations had turned out.

Seeing the expression of confusion on Beth's face, Susan began to explain. "The art club chose you as our candidate for Prom Queen. I was in the group counting the votes. Beth, you're going to be Queen."

Beth was instantly gripped with fear to her very bones. She hadn't seen this coming at all. If all had gone as planned, if she had a quiet night at the prom and returned home on time, it was unlikely that Bradley would ever know that she had gone out. But now… There would certainly be an article in the Springfield Journal about the prom, and the prom queen and king would certainly be mentioned. This made the chances much greater that Bradley would find out that she had gone to prom. She had never crossed him like this before and suddenly the threat of punishment, violent and merciless, was hanging over her head. He had tossed her down the stairs when she was fifteen minutes late home from school.

Stricken with panic, she made her way through the crowd. She went out to the patio and tried in vain to calm herself. She could hear Bradley's hateful voice, sneering and menacing her. "Well, kiddo, I guess you're a little out of your league."

Phillip had taken notice of Beth's flight and had followed her out to the patio. "Beth, are you okay?" He could see that she was trying very hard to stop hyperventilating. A girl in a green dress and her date were making out on the bench by the window, he asked them to leave. Their intimate moment spoiled, the couple made their way back inside, hand in hand.

Phillip went to Beth and ran his hands through her hair and slowly, stroked her cheek with a tenderness that caught Beth off guard. Then he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. After a moment, he could see that Beth was somewhat soothed. "Come on," he said and draped his arm over Beth's shoulder and led her back into the anteroom.

Rick was standing near the door smiling. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine, just a little nerves."

Rick took Phillip's place at Beth's side. The deejay's voice from the cafeteria boomed, "Phillip. Phillip Spaulding, where are you?"

Phillip turned to leave and mouthed something to Beth and Rick and went to take a place on the stage. The deejay called Beth to the stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen, your 1983 Springfield High prom king and queen, Phillip Spaulding and Beth Raines."

Beth bust into tears of joy as the crown was put on her head. Her arms trembling, she struggled for a moment to hold both the tussey-mussey and the bouquet of coral roses that the she was handed.

Phillip took Beth's hand and led her onto the dance floor. The music began: Lionel Richey's "Truly.

_Now I need to tell you this  
There's no other love like your love  
And I, as long as I live,  
I'll give you all the joy  
My heart and soul can give_

Suddenly Beth was insensible to anything that was not Phillip. She seemed to melt seamlessly into him so that any distinction between them seemed to lose all meaning. She felt his arms, strong but with restrained to a gentleness to which she was unaccustomed, guide her around the floor. It was an overwhelming sensation, all the more so because it had come as such a surprise. She had never felt like this before. She hadn't even known it was possible to feel this way.

After the song ended, Phillip and Beth parted. Phillip returned to the patio. This time he was the one needing some air. He turned and realized that Rick had followed him, and that Rick was angry. "Do you want Beth?"

David Bowie's "Let's Dance" blasted outside onto the patio.

_Let's on your red shoes and dance the blues._

Phillip paused for a moment. He nodded his head. "I do," he admitted.

"Tonight! Tonight you want her?" Rick turned his back on his friend. "I've seen you do this before. I've seen you move from one girl to another. I've seen you make them laugh. I've seen you make them cry. Then as soon as things get a little too serious, you drop them. "

"That's what you think of me?"

All the dark thoughts that Rick had been having about his friend over the last couple of weeks came bubbling to the surface. "You're long on good times and short on commitment. It's bad enough with you playing around with Mindy. She's in love with you, Phillip, just like you always wanted her to be. She'll be hurt when you walk out of her life, but she'll survive. Mindy can get over anything. But Beth is different."

"Do you think I would ever do anything to hurt Beth?"

It came as a violent blow to Phillip to learn that was exactly what Rick, his best good friend, thought of him, and had apparently been thinking of him for some time. He was outraged that his intentions were so misunderstood. He couldn't stand to be near Rick, to hear the accusations continue. He couldn't stand it any longer. He had to get out of there.

Phillip was not an experienced drinker; but he did know that some kids out in the parking lot had some liquor. He sought them out. He took the vodka bottle out of the hand of one of the kids. The girl from whom he had taken the bottle gave a short squeal of indignation. Phillip drank until the bottle was completely drained and signaled for more. Suddenly the emotions that seemed so threatening to him seemed a little more manageable.

He sat there for some time, drinking silently with kids he didn't know. To his relief, they never seemed to question his presence. They only objected when he took the bottle out of turn, which he did a few of times. By the time the last bottle was empty, he knew from the way the world was spinning and wobbling that he was drunk.

He made his way to his convertible and layed down in the back waiting to stabilize. A few times the car seat seemed to spin or drop out from underneath him.

So far as he knew, his friends were inside dancing the night away and enjoying themselves, not mindful of his agony. It had been a huge thing, admitting his feelings for Beth. He was loosed, free of the burden that he had been carrying for weeks. He hated himself as the loser who wanted his best friend's girl. He knew that something had snapped, that the dynamic between the four friends already changed, though it was too early to know what the fallout would be.

Phillip didn't know how much time passed while he lay there in the back of his car. He didn't much care. Suddenly bell in the school bell tower began to toll. It was midnight. He rose to a seated position. The next thing he knew, Beth was running toward his car with her skirts flying.

"I've got to get out of here," she cried. She asked Phillip to help her change out of her prom dress into the t-shirt and jeans she left in his car. Phillip unzipped the dress. "Don't look," she yelped. Phillip took the blanket that they had used during the picnic on skip day and made it into a makeshift tent so that Beth could change with at least a small amount of privacy and assured her that he would avert his eyes.

"You're a very fine gentleman," Beth remarked.

"Well, Beth, you make it very difficult for me to be anything a very fine gentleman," Phillip said, his tone sardonic. After a moment, he said, "You're a very beautiful girl."

"Thank you. I'm not really though. You just make me feel that way."

Phillip stood there patiently holding the blanket. He was still more than a little drunk. He knew that.

"I think I'm falling in love with you," he said. He knew the moment he said it that it was something he would never have been able to say if he were sober. He looked at Beth to see her reaction. For a moment, there was none. Her only care at the moment was to make it home as quickly as possible. She had intended to already be well on her way home by now. Phillip was all raw nerves and vulnerability for a moment. What had he done? Yes, he was drunk; but he stood behind his words and was willing to take whatever consequence they might bring.

Beth became attentive. She felt bold. "I'm falling in love with you too."

Afterwards neither of them would remember how it happened, but Beth and Phillip were in one another's arms and kissed, passionately and sweetly. Then Beth disappeared into the night.

Phillip noticed that she had dropped one of her shoes due to the haste of her flight. He took the shoe in his hand and caressed it. Then he returned to the back seat of his car and fell asleep, the shoe still in his hand.

It all ends well, though there were many twists along the way. Phillip and Beth marry. In fact, they get marry twice. They have two children – Lizzie and James. (Phillip also has a daughter and a son with other wives and Beth has a daughter with Phillip's father, Alan.) They end up together for good. Rick and Mindy also marry. The four remain friends for life. BLUE SKIES AND PALAMINO PONIES FOREVER!


End file.
